Graduate Student Literature Review: Implications of transition cow health for reproductive function and targeted reproductive management

Negative associations of health disorders with reproductive performance, often measured with pregnancy per AI or the risk of pregnancy loss, have been demonstrated extensively. Most studies investigated common clinical diseases but did not include subclinical disorders comprehensively. They often evaluated cows subjected to hormonal synchronization protocols for timed AI, limiting the ability to understand how disease may affect spontaneous reproductive function, which is essential for targeted management programs with selective hormonal intervention. It is plausible that metabolic and inflammatory disorders have short- and long-term detrimental effects on different features of reproductive function that result in or contribute to reduced fertility. These may include: (1) re-establishment of endocrine function to promote follicular growth and first ovulation postpartum, (2) corpus luteum (CL) function, (3) estrus expression, and (4) uterine environment, fertilization, and embryonic development. In this narrative literature review, we discuss insights and knowledge gaps linking health disorders with these processes of reproductive function. A growing set of observational studies with adequate internal validity suggest that these outcomes may be affected by metabolic and inflammatory disorders that are common in the early postpartum period. A better characterization of these risk factors in multisite studies with greater external validity is warranted to develop decision-support tools to identify subgroups of cows that are more or less likely to be successful in targeted reproductive management programs.